fred bentivegna
Verified Member
...masochist or a sicko to resurrect a dead body. But the "Fairness Doctrine" has forced me to post these emails I sent and received re the infamous Harold Worst tables.
I sent this email to the guy ER was using to represent his case, Tilman Mathis.
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2011 05:20:37 -0700
From: fbentivegna@sbcglobal.net
Subject: Golden Eight ball tables
To: eightballtilo@hotmail.com
Mr Mathis. My name is Freddy the Beard Bentivegna, I have been a top level pool player for 50 years. In the 1960s I spent a lot of time in the Golden Eight Ball in Chicago. They were one of the first companies to use Harold Worst endorsed tables. My recollection of those tables is much different than yours. I spent years in that poolroom and to me and almost everyone else, those were the "worst" tables ever made. They did not have real slate 1 1/2 inches as you related to Eddie Robin in an email in 2007. They may have reverted to slate years later, but the tables in that pool room had artificial slate, supposedly corregated fibreglass called Slateen. They rolled very badly and the cushions were inferior. The tables you spoke of in 2007, over 40 years later, may have underwent improvements. They would have certainly needed to.
Do you know of anywhere in America where those tables are still being used?
Thanks for your time,
Freddy Bentivegna
Since he hasnt replied to ER since 2007 I never expected a reply but unbelivably, I got one. Albeit, a confounding one.
Sir,in reply to yor inquiry of the Golden Eightball tables. There are residences here in the Grand Rapids area that have these particular tables in use, with slate beds and good playing cushions, to me they are comparable to most general commercial Tables I have played and tested. There are also people in the G. R. area that have some just laying around in their storage facilities deteriorating-non-climate controlled, which also are slate beds. I also have a 5x10 Snooker in my climate controlled work shop, 3 piece slate, which I am just currently using as a work bench with the rails off. I can tell you that I have never seen a non-slate composite-bed Golden Eightball Table, slate seems to be the norm by me. This Table was aquired from Harry Worst, son of Carl Worst, who happened to be Harold Worst's brother, and have provenance to prove it. Granted there might have been some construction issues or innovations, which-ever you would prefer, that were questionable, like the strand-wood main-frame in particular, other than that, I for one think there were also some good innovations, like the multi-point leveling system for the slate-bed as well as the standard leg-leveling system for the frame. I also liked the extruded aluminum outer body Rails. which added more over-all frame strength, for the lack of a solid wood main-frame. The rail-cushion rubber could have been a larger(mass) profile for added accuracy, I thought. I hope this resolves some of your Questions. Sure would be interested in some of your books for my private collection. Keep on Strokin & Regards, Tilman Z. Mathis, Billiard Table Recovery Service. 888-430-POOL(7665)
Here is my, as yet, unanswered reply:
Tilman, I played at the Golden Eight Ball in Chicago in the 1960's. Those tables did not have real slate, but something called Slateen. I talked to Bobby Hunter, a top pool player who grew up on the Golden Eight Ball pool room tables in Grand Rapids. He also agreed that the tables he played on back then had Slateen not slate. I can only surmise that the company switched to slate in later years. Do you know anything about that?
Thank you,
Freddy the Beard Bentivegna
I sent this email to the guy ER was using to represent his case, Tilman Mathis.
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2011 05:20:37 -0700
From: fbentivegna@sbcglobal.net
Subject: Golden Eight ball tables
To: eightballtilo@hotmail.com
Mr Mathis. My name is Freddy the Beard Bentivegna, I have been a top level pool player for 50 years. In the 1960s I spent a lot of time in the Golden Eight Ball in Chicago. They were one of the first companies to use Harold Worst endorsed tables. My recollection of those tables is much different than yours. I spent years in that poolroom and to me and almost everyone else, those were the "worst" tables ever made. They did not have real slate 1 1/2 inches as you related to Eddie Robin in an email in 2007. They may have reverted to slate years later, but the tables in that pool room had artificial slate, supposedly corregated fibreglass called Slateen. They rolled very badly and the cushions were inferior. The tables you spoke of in 2007, over 40 years later, may have underwent improvements. They would have certainly needed to.
Do you know of anywhere in America where those tables are still being used?
Thanks for your time,
Freddy Bentivegna
Since he hasnt replied to ER since 2007 I never expected a reply but unbelivably, I got one. Albeit, a confounding one.
Sir,in reply to yor inquiry of the Golden Eightball tables. There are residences here in the Grand Rapids area that have these particular tables in use, with slate beds and good playing cushions, to me they are comparable to most general commercial Tables I have played and tested. There are also people in the G. R. area that have some just laying around in their storage facilities deteriorating-non-climate controlled, which also are slate beds. I also have a 5x10 Snooker in my climate controlled work shop, 3 piece slate, which I am just currently using as a work bench with the rails off. I can tell you that I have never seen a non-slate composite-bed Golden Eightball Table, slate seems to be the norm by me. This Table was aquired from Harry Worst, son of Carl Worst, who happened to be Harold Worst's brother, and have provenance to prove it. Granted there might have been some construction issues or innovations, which-ever you would prefer, that were questionable, like the strand-wood main-frame in particular, other than that, I for one think there were also some good innovations, like the multi-point leveling system for the slate-bed as well as the standard leg-leveling system for the frame. I also liked the extruded aluminum outer body Rails. which added more over-all frame strength, for the lack of a solid wood main-frame. The rail-cushion rubber could have been a larger(mass) profile for added accuracy, I thought. I hope this resolves some of your Questions. Sure would be interested in some of your books for my private collection. Keep on Strokin & Regards, Tilman Z. Mathis, Billiard Table Recovery Service. 888-430-POOL(7665)
Here is my, as yet, unanswered reply:
Tilman, I played at the Golden Eight Ball in Chicago in the 1960's. Those tables did not have real slate, but something called Slateen. I talked to Bobby Hunter, a top pool player who grew up on the Golden Eight Ball pool room tables in Grand Rapids. He also agreed that the tables he played on back then had Slateen not slate. I can only surmise that the company switched to slate in later years. Do you know anything about that?
Thank you,
Freddy the Beard Bentivegna